The Vathinor Crisis

[Phytho]

As Tython raced back to the Sirius V he took a roll call of all his fighters. Surprisingly only seventy-five pilots had been killed or damaged in the fighting with the one hundred fighter squadrons from the two moons.

 

The enemy fighters arrived at the Sirius V just seconds before Tythons fighters arrived and hit them from behind. The battle continued and after the initual slaughter both sides settled down to try and destroy the opponents fighters.

[Krytos]

Both Afton and her partner, Josson, left the room to contact Barkoa. Rantar couldn't help but be a little suspicious of Josson, after all only Afton needed to go and contact Barkoa.

 

Surely enough, he returned a very short time later. As he entered the room, he asked Rantar about the Rebellion that was being set up. Afton seemed to trust him, which would have been enough for him in the past - though now, he needed more. Surely he was being to paranoid now, it was ridiculous that he suspected everyone that he met now.

 

After the slight pause, Rantar replied. "With the government and Security detachment of this world under the control of the Organisation, we’re left with little option. If we don’t act now, more people will be needlessly killed, the planet would be still used as a pawn in someone else’s game of galactic conquest.

“So, we’re planning on toppling the government, though we can’t do that easily. Ever since the start of bombings to cover up their actions, the Vathonir Security force has strengthened considerably. Now, elections or any political options are out because it would be difficult to prove to a world that their government has been lying to them – not to mention that as to date, our elections haven’t actual been working as the Organisation has always been the one to chose the government here.â€

[Jess]

Afton re-entered the room and sat down beside Rantar, she was not going to give Josson the plessure of her next to him after what he had just done. As she sat she noticed Josson flinch a little like he was surprised at her move, she just sat and gave Rantar her full attention.

 

When he had finished speaking Afton stood, "Seeing as I am the commanding officer of this mission to find you I feel it is my right to say that we will stay and help for a while." She turned to Josson.

"If any of my people do not agree that they can go back to base and wait for further orders from Barkoa."

 

She said this all very meaningfully, she was not impressed with Josson and she would show him her disapproval.

 

Josson sat there dumb founded, he thought that they had been partners not one in charge of the other. He frowned, "Okay I will stay but on one condition, I am your partner not your soldier and I would like to be treated like a partner. Now if you don't mind I must be going, I am tried." With that he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

 

Afton turned to Rantar, "don't mind him, he will get used to it and its a long story. Now about plannig this rebellion, do we have enough trained officers?"

[Krytos]

Rantar arced an eye brow as Josson stormed off. Rantar made a mental note to ask Afton about the two later, more pressing maters were at hand.

"Well, the only real training people have here is at best being memmbers of the security. Some have knowledge or unofficial training in militia areas, thoguh it's no where near what we're gonig to need to win this.

"I've given them all some training, though there are too many of them and too few of me to do it efficiently. I would like it I didn't have to initiate them with a trial by fire."

Rantar watched as Afton took in the information.

"We don't have the facilities to train our personal, which numbers in at just over 130 able bodies. So, I was thinking that the most capable people are given some extra training and then take out squads for "field" exersises. What are your thoguhts?"

[tchar]

OOC - I'm back...

 

IC - The planet below NightHawk I was altogether unremarkable - 60% ocean with the remainder mostly lush tropical regions. T'char set the autopilot for a gentle entry into its atmosphere and headed back to his cabin to freshen up.

 

* * *

 

"Mr T'char, I can assure you that our organisation's upper echelons do hold your skills in great esteem, however I'm sure you can understand their hesitation to award a bounty based upon the scant evidence supplied. A single finger simply is not sufficient."

 

Inwardly, T'char groaned. He'd known these people were going to be difficult. He'd hoped to avoid this. Unfortunately, there was no other choice.

 

"Would you please follow me to my ship, Mr..."

 

"Johnson."

 

"Mr. Johnson. The rest of the body is in storage."

 

T'char turned led the way to the landing pad, and into the bowels of NightHawk. Ducking through the bulkheads, he made his way to the ship's cold storage.

 

"I had hoped to avoid this - I have other customers who will want the same evidence, and I would hate for it to be contaminated."

 

"No problem Mr. T'char, I think i can manage that."

 

"Good. The body is in pretty bad shape - are you sure you want to see this?"

 

The clerk gave a nod of assent. T'char turned to the nearest cold locker and keyed its release. The door slowly swung open revealing the body. The head was unrecognisable - the bullet's exit wound had obliterated every facial feature. The clerk turned away in disgust.

 

"That's fine Mr. T'char. If I could have a sample?"

 

"Certainly. Please try to make it as inconspicuos as possible."

 

The clerk took his sample and ran it through his DNA analyser. As T'char had expected, the result was a perfect match for Sol Sebala's DNA record.

 

"Very good Mr. T'char. Here's the payment as promised. My employers wish me to convey their appreciation of your work, and also to extend to you a promise of future employment, should you find that neccessary."

 

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. It's been a pleasure."

 

"Likewise."

 

With that the clerk gave one last disgusted look at the corpse and dissapeared down the ship's ramp.

[Phytho]

Tython was spinning, diving, shooting, diving again. Suddenly the sky seemed to clear as the anti-fighter ships got within range of the battle and started clearing up the edges of the battle.

 

Tython then realised that the enemy fighters where using a very strange battle formtaion as if they where trying to hide somthing that was tryng to fly around the battle and hit the Sirius V that was almost undefended now that all the defencive ships had rushed into the fighter battle.

 

Tython quickly called together his own personal squadron and flew towards the Sirius V hoping that he could stop what ever was going to attack. Tython got to the Sirius V just as a strange ship appeared on his senses only a short distance from the mother ship. Tython quickly called all his fighters to shoot at the enemy vessal but the shots seemed to have no effect. Tython then made a lightining desision. He would have to ram the enemy ship so that it didnt ram the Sirius V. With this Tython called to his second in command and said "Pilot I am going to ram that ship. Be ready to pick up my life pod after the explosion is over." With those final words Tython flew at the enemy suicide ship and just before his fighter entered the ships deflecter shields Tython ejected his escape pod.

[Jess]

Afton sat there tapping the table in thought as she listened very intently to Rantar. Slowly a lpan popped into her head.

She waited for Rantar to finished then spoke.

 

"I have an idea Rantar. How about you put a list together of all the most highly trained men in your squad. Get it to me and I will train them and put together to make a highly sophisticated squad that can tackle every obstical. I want the best from every field. Computors, mechs, forensics, bolistics and marks men. I need a team of about fifteen of the best. I will personally see to their training and then we can use them for the most dangerous missions, data collecting and other things that an organisation like us."

 

She smiled, "how does that sound?"

[Krytos]

Rantar thought about Afton's suggestion. It would allow him to make strategical and tactical strikes against the Organisation rather than relying on cumbersom rebel fighters to attack or sabatage something.

 

"Sounds great Afton, this will enable the less trained to act as more of a garison - making sure our bases and supplies don't run out."

 

OOC: Good to see you back Jess

[Jess]

OOC: Great to be back... I missed you guys... lets play

 

IC:

 

Afton smiled, she was getting tired after the long day. She stood up and shook Rantar's hand again, "great to have you back. Now how bout a bed?" She said laughing.

 

"Can we get these lists ready for a meeting tomorow at 1200 hrs? I'd like to start this training straight away so we can be more prepared for anything."

 

She grinned, "now wheres this room of mine?".....

[Krytos]

With a sly grin on his face, Rantar responded, "Yeah, about that room - it isn't exactly what we'd call 5 star . . . or half a star for that matter, though it has something that resembles a bed."

 

Laughing, Rantar continued. "I'll get those lists done for you by the time you get up. Have a good sleep."

 

With that, Rantar called a "clerk" to guide Afton to her room as he headed off to prepare the lists for Afton.

[Phytho]

The first thing Tython noticed was the quiet and then off in the background he heard soft beeping noises like those life support machines in medical made. Next came his feeling and suddenly he realised he was lying on a bed covered in blankets and feeling absolutly terrible. He tried to open an eye but as soon as he did the light was like searing pain destroying all other feeling.

 

After several minutes of this Tython finally managed to get used to the pain and he sat up. Only then did he notice that the comandore was sitting next to him in a chair and he was most definitly not looking happy.

 

Tythons first instinct was to start making excuses but he realised that to do so was to commit military suicide so he said "how bad was it sir". The comandore looked at Tython and said with a perfectly straight face "We cained them from the outer rim to Corasunt. Congratulations you have proved me wrong. From now on you will be the over all leader of the entire fighter wing. Good luck." he then stood and left the room leaving only his small computer with all the details of the battle so that tython could review how the pilots went and how to best use them in future battles.

[Jess]

Rantar had been right, the room was not 5 star but it still had a bed, and for that Afton was thankful. She closed the door and put on her sleep wear and lay on the bed thinking what the next day might bring. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

 

"Who is it?" she called, slightly anoid at being interupted.

"Josson, now can I come in?" came the reply.

"Not particulaly but okay," she said sitting up on the bed.

 

Josson walked in in his sleep wear as well and sat next to her on the bed. He was to close for Afton's comfort so she shuffled up the bed a little. He sat there stareing at her then her smiled.

 

"You look gorgeous in you PJ's," he said.

"Thats it," she said standing upright, "what is the big idea. You have been acting strange from the past week and I am about fed up. You stop this behaveour or you go home and thats final. Now if you don't mind I need to sleep, the door is there us it." With that she pointed and waited.

 

"Aw come on, I was just being silly. But you do look beautiful. Look after what happened I realised how much I missed you and how much I need you. Please Afton can we start over?"

 

"Not now please Josson I already have enough things to think about., please leave."

 

"Okay, okay what ever you say." He got up walked towards Afton kissed her cheeck and left the room.

[Krytos]

Rantar awoke at 4 in the morning, something he was now use to doing. Though unlike every other night's sleep, or in some cases day sleep, Rantar slept pleasantly with the knowledge that things were looking better with Afton helping.

Rising from his make shift bed, a light matress on a conrete slab, and got dressed into the only clothes he had. His blood stained, ripped and raggered Security Uniform. He moved out of his room and into the coridor, eyeing the guard hidden in the shadows outside his door, moving to the mess hall and eating his breakfast. The same routine that he had been through for so many days.

Though just like last night, things were different. He was rested, he could see hope.

It was time to throw routine to the wind. Rantar walked to one of the many ways in and out of the base, and welcomed the sunrise.

The sight saddened Rantar however. The beauty of golden, orange hue casting over the outskirts of the city was only matched by the glittering of the ocean, over which the sun rose. This beauty, Rantar knew he was about to tarnish. Today he would take the war to the enemy. To his world. To his city. To his people. To his friends.

[Phytho]

Tython sat there totally shocked with what had just happened. At the beggining of the battle he had been the fill in captain for three fighter squadrons, now he was the commander of 12 full fighter squadrons. when tython finally got over his surprise he grabbed the computer that the fleet admiral had left and started reviewing information about the pilots. After several long hours Tython had succesfully rearanged all the squadrons so that that all the pilots in each squadron had the same fighters and they all fought in approximatly the same style.

 

After all that hard thinking Tython was geatting a headache but just before he lapsed back into unconciousnes he called up a mechanic and asked him to get another Triphon fighter and to set it up with the nural interface again as his old fighter had been totally destroyed in the ramming mission with the suicide ship.

[Trejiuvanat]

OOC: Dead? Finished?

[tchar]

OOC - Hell no Trej! Curse the thought!

 

IC - T'char slowly turned into the narrow alleyway, ever alert for the prescence of unfriendly creatures. As he made his way through the rubble littering the narrow passage, the beady eyes of the streetlife lurking in the shadows seemed to bore into his back. He liked to think he didn't scare easily, but there was just to many opportunities for the creatures lurking in the shadows for him to be completely comfortable.

 

Your contact will be at the end of the alley opposite Harry's Cantina... He could see the grimy wall at the end of the alley, but there didn't seem to be anyone waiting. Typical, he thought. Can't even be trusted to arrive on time. The possibilty of ambush now firmly gripped in his mind, he gripped the butt of his antique pistol tighter and stepped into the shadows.

 

"Mr. T'char"

 

T'char whirled around, searching for the voice behind him. The light from the nearby street blinded him after the alley's gloom. Slowly his eyes readjusted. There, hidden behind the hulk of a disfunctional civil maintenance droid stood a Defel, his near invisible skin blending almost seamlessly into the ambient mess of the alley.

 

"Mr. T'char, my employers wish me to convey how glad they are that you have come to work with us." He paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. "They also asked me to remind you of the nature of your mission. Success is vital."

 

"So i have been led to understand. Yet, oddly, no-one has actually told me what this mission is yet..."

 

"Quite so, Mr. T'char." He pulled a thick envelope seemingly from nowhere. "So without further ado, your mission. Farewell, and good luck Mr. T'char."

 

"Luck is not a factor."

 

"Quite so, Mr. T'char. Quite so."

 

With that, the Defel turned, and dissapeared into the shadows.

 

T'char glanced down at the envelope. Judging by the paperwork, whatever this mission was, it seemed that it was likely to be fairly complicated...

[Krytos]

OOC: Wow, I never saw the post Trej put here

 

Anyway, TChar, great to see you back - do you still have contact with Jess and/or Pytho? 'Cause it's going to be hard to finish this without her and Pytho.

We could also do with her help to finish off the Bespin Escape thread.

 

I had hoped she would post after me so we could get the war started - though if she doesn't post soon I guess I can just start it anyway

[tchar]

OOC - Yeah, I can contact them no problem...

 

I'm at uni with Phytho, and I reckon I can contact Jess pretty easily. I'll see what I can do...

[Krytos]

OOC: Good to hear T

 

I'll send you a PM in a few minutes so we can talk there

[Jess]

OOC: I'M BACK.... LET GET THE PARTY STARTED.

 

IC:

 

Afton woke early the next morning. Something was bothering her... itwas thedream shehad had that night. Shrugging it off she got up and pulled on some fresh combat clothes. May as well look the part, she thought.

 

Walking out of her room she saw Rantar makinghis way out of the camp. Being the curious type that she was she walked after him. When he looked at the sun she noticed his face was clouded with sadness.

 

She put a hand on his shoulder, if only to comfort him, and stood there quietly in respect of his mood. After a little while she spoke, "lets get some breakfast it is going to be an interesting day to say the least."

 

"I was hoping you would be able to pass on the list with the names of the ones that you think will be able to cope with the pressure I am about to puton them," she said with a chuckle.

 

OOC: I cant promise that I'll be on much but I will try. Just keep the ball rolling and I'll pick up where you guys left off.

 

Where theres a will theres a way

[Krytos]

Rantar's eyes slowly opened as he emerged from thought as Afton spoke.

Rantar let the silence last a little longer, and savoured what was certain to end.

With the distant sounds of people awakening in the base, Rantar finally turned to Afton.

"Sure, lets get something to eat."

 

**********************************************************

 

It took a few minutes to reach the Resistances equivalent of a Mess Hall. Deep in the makeshift base, the mess hall was what use to be a basement. The site was originally set up by the a detachemnt of the original colonist to Vathonir, though over the years its location and existance had become a myth to most.

Now it was worn down after so many years of decay. The ferocrete was breaking apart, and entire sections of the ceilings had collapsed all over the base making it hard to navigate.

The only food the resistance could serve in quantity was a grey slop, that was reminisent of the decaying ferocrete.

Sitting down at one of the many tables with Afton, Rantar began to wonder how the resistance was able to recruit anyone with this type of horrid food.

As Afton pondered her own breakfast, Rantar slid across the table a datapad.

"That contains the files of the people you were asking for. And, don't worry about the food - no-one knows you on planet yet, so you can go to a "real" food joint.

"Consider it recon, for food."

With thaqt, Rantar pushed his bowl of goo away as he no longer felt hungry.

[tchar]

OOC - Guess I missed reading that post, Kry - I did get the PM tho... Good to see U back, Jess! Whatchu doing with yourself these days? Heard u dropped by Phytho's the other day...

 

IC - T'char was digusted. Utterly revolted. They expected a hunter of his expertise to conduct a scouting mission? Sure, scouting was a essential part of the hunting proccess, all good hunters needed to be adept at it to survive in the trade. But scouting simply for its own merit? He failed to see the fun in that.

 

He turned up the bridge's air conditioning - his anger was causing his cold-blooded body to overheat. Slowly his blood pressure dropped back towards its normal levels as his anger subsided.

 

Looking once more at the mission plan laying on the main bridge console, he reconsidered. Yes, it was a dirty job that usually would be left to the lower echelons, but this wasn't exactly a routine mission. It did have some of the thrills and perks usually associated with good hunt.

 

Besides, he was getting paid.

 

Finally convinced, T'char turned the NightHawk toward the little rim planet the organisation desired so much and lit the hyperdrive.

[Jess]

Afton sat there playing with her food. Not that appatizing but it was food all the same. She was about to ask Rantar a question when he handed over the database, said a few word than abruptly pushed his bowl to one side. Afton could sense a deep feeling of regret and remorse of what was to come, so in her knowledge she said nothing.

 

Finally she spoke.

"Rantar, I know your probably not in the mood or in the frame of mind to do this but I was hoping you could help me with the men. Seeing as they don't know me and all." She prepared herself for the worse and waited for a reply.

 

***********

 

Josson woke late that morning, had a shower and made his way to the mess hall. He saw Afton sitting with Rantar so he disided to leave them, and Rantar did not look the friendliest that morning. He went an sat next to some strong looking men with large muscles and hard faces. They looked like the type Afton would be looking for he thought.

 

He sat down and introduced himself.

"Hi and am Luetenant Josson one of the so called 'boundty hunters' that where supposedly after you boss. How are you?" He was chuckling at his wit and humer when a gruff voice answered.

 

"Well isn't that nice, your the little scum that we all nearly died over." And with that he burst into a bombing laugh. It nearly shook the place down.

[Krytos]

Rantar took several, long deep breathes to try and bring himself out of his depressed mood. Slowly, though surely, Rantar began to become less depressed.

Looking straight at Afton, and smiling for the first time in what seemed like a few days.

"Sure thing, lets get onto it."

[Phytho]

After reviewing the stats for a long time Tyhton came to the only posible conclusion. They were loosing fighter pilots too quickly to be able to support there offencive action for much longer than two years. The number of fighters lost was sustainable but the pilots were not. After this revelation Tython secretly got into his new uniform and snuck out of the hospital and down to the hanger bay to talk to the chief engineer.

 

After many long hours with the Chief Engineer they had managed to come up with an idea for making the pilots ejection pods selfsustainable for a five hour period and to be able to withstand the explosion of the fuel tank and engines.

 

With these new modifications being put in place Tython headed up to the Commanders office to find out where they were going to attack next so he could plan the fighter formation that he would have to use.